Gillparzer’s tribute to Beethoven

…He who lies here was possessed. Seeking one goal, caring only for one result, suffering and sacrificing for one purpose, those did this man go through life…

If there are some of us who can still feel a sense of total dedication in these fractured times, let us meet at his grave. Has it not always been the task of the poets and heroes, the bards and the divinely enlightened, to raise up poor and confused men, so that they may be mindful both of their origin and their destiny?

– From a speech by Grillparzer on the occasion of the unveiling of a monument to Beethoven, autumn, 1827.

Cited in: Marek, George (1969) Beethoven: Biography of a Genius. London: William Kimber, p.1.

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